5 Things You Shouldn’t Skimp On

I am a cheapass at heart. When it comes to most things at least. I’ve written about this before, but sometimes I can be such a ridiculous weirdo.

For the last month my phone has been turning on and off randomly. It will freeze up in the middle of a call and just shut down. It will dial random people. It just does weird things. I’ve tried resetting it. I’ve tried deleting tons of crap that is on it. I’ve tried getting rid of apps I thought could be the culprit. Nothing worked.

But the truth is that I’ve been using the same phone for 3 years now and phones just aren’t built to last a long time anymore. I probably got much more time out of my phone than most people do.

So, knowing all that, why did I agonize over the decision to buy a new phone? Why did I message my husband 700 times about it when it was clear I needed a new phone for no other reason than having an unreliable phone when you’re across the country for work is probably not the best or safest idea?

Because I’m a crazy. I feel like you all should know that by now.

In the spirit of me being forced to spend money this week (FORCED I TELL YOU), I thought I’d take a 180 from my usual post ideas and instead talk about the few areas in which I’m giving you the OK to spend money.

Here are 5 things you should never skimp on.

Health & Fitness

I’ve written about how to get fit for free before. But if my tips and tricks don’t work for you and if the only thing that motivates you to get your butt into gear is that Orange Theory membership, then do it.

You only get one body and one life. Take care of it. So long as you’re not going into debt to support your habit, you should set money aside with the intent of spending it on your health and well being.

That might be a gym membership. But that might also be a Weight Watchers membership. Or it might be a food subscription service. If you’re more likely to eat healthy when the food is delivered to you and you can afford it? Then you should definitely invest in yourself.

Professional Development or Academia

On the topic of investing in yourself, always invest in your professional development! Now, some of my readers may be aiming for FIRE and, in that case, might see spending money on professional development as a waste. But I disagree. It’s always smart to invest in yourself.

You are your number one asset.

Take that class you want. Sit for that professional exam that will get you certified. Learn a new skill or refresh a skill you let wither. Better yourself.

Charity

If there is one thing I’ve learned about personal finance bloggers its that they are generous to a fault! There has been so much talk around the blogosphere lately about charity and about setting ourselves up to be in a place where we can give money to those people and creatures less fortunate than us. It’s so heartwarming.

I’ve mentioned in the past that I’m a vegetarian, so I tend to choose causes that focus on securing animal rights, or that support animal rescues. We have a little envelope that holds my print out receipts for all my charitable donations, this way I don’t forget about them come tax time.

Safety & Security

Just like your health and well-being, this is an important one, but I feel like it can mostly be boiled down to: don’t do stupid shit.

Don’t park in the dark alley at nighttime because the meter is broken so parking is free when the lighted parking garage is a) closer and b) safer.

Don’t stay in the sketch hostel to save money on your travel when the nicer hostel has real doors that close and does not look like it could be the set of a Saw movie.

Treat yourself as precious. You are.

Garbage Bags

Trust me on this one. Buy the name brand garbage bags. If you cheap out on this one, you’ll regret it. 😛

What do you think? Are you already doing this? Do you have one thing you refuse to cheap out on? What is it? Drop me a line in the comments of tweet me @BasicRichBitch.

1 Response

One more thing. As you get older (40 or over) don’t skimp on cheap shoes. I don’t mean Manolo’s or Jimmy Choo’s, I mean as you start worrying about knees and joints, and in my case, plantar fasciitis, you have to buy quality shoes.

There is a reason people who stand on their feet all day wear Dansko’s — it’s not because they like clogs.

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